Shipping container



Nev. 20, 1962 w. J. MAXWELL SHIPPING CONTAINER 2 SheetsSheet Filed NOV.12, 1957 FIGJ R o T w W n Nov. 20, 1962 w. J. MAXWELL SHIPPING CONTAINER2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 12, 1957 INVENTOR. Wag/4M J Mnxwa;

3,064,845 SHIPHNG CONTAINER William J. Maxwell, Tarentum, Pa, assignorto Eittshurgll Plate Glass Company, Ailegheny tlounty, lla., acorporation of Pennsylvania Filed Nov. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 695,862 7Claims. (61. 217-43) This invention relates to a shipping container andmore especially relates to a palletized shipping container for largecurved glass sheets, such as Windshields for automobiles.

It has been customary to ship curved Windshields to automobilemanufacturers and the like in palletized containers. In this type ofcontainer one of the sides is readily removable for loading andunloading. The palletized shipping containers are of the returnable typeso that after unloading the Windshields the container can be knockeddown and returned to the manufacturer of the Windshields for reassemblyand subsequent reuse.

In a conventional container longitudinally spaced multiple corrugatedcardboards or the like are secured to the bottom of the container. Slotsare in the top portion of each corrugated cardboard. The Windshields areplaced in the slots so that each windshield is supported vertically bythe cardboards at marginal portions between the ends of the curved glasssheet. The concave surface of each glass sheet faces the back or thefront of the container, preferably the former. U-shaped corrugatedcardboards or the like are placed over a central portion of alternateWindshields to maintain the Windshields in their spaced relationship andto prevent distortion from the curvature obtained in their manufacture.The legs of these cardboards extend to the base of the Windshields. Theends can be protected by corrugated cardboard jackets, also placed onalternate Windshields. Between the outside Windshields of the stack andthe front and back panels of the container protective packaging materialis placed to prevent the outside Windshields from bumping against thecontainer.

The palletized containers are stored or shipped with at least onecontainer on another. Of course, the height of the interior of the truckor freight car for shipment limits the number of tiers of palletizedcontainers. The

Windshields of the later designs are larger than those previously madeand as a result higher containers are required. This has preventedloading the usual number of tiers of the containers in the truck orfreight car so that considerable space in the vehicle is not utilized.The result is a higher transportation charge per windshield in someinstances.

To load the container it is necessary to move it into position by a forklift truck. After the Windshields have been placed in the container thefront panel and the top are positioned and secured to the rest of thecontainer by wires. The container is replaced by an empty one and theprocess is repeated. Likewise, a lift truck moves the container intounloading position and the top and front panels are removed. Theunloaded container is replaced by another loaded container using a lifttruck. With conventional containers having particular dimensions forlength and Width the number of Windshields that can be packaged in it isfixed. Thus the amount of time per Windshield for positioning acontainer into or removing it from a loading or unloading station isalso relatively fixed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a palletizedshipping container of a particular length and width that can contain thenumber of Windshields that can be packaged in two conventionalcontainers of the same length and width and that has less than twice theheight 3,334,815 Patented Nov. 20, 1962 of the conventional container sothat the space in the transportation vehicle can be more eflicientlyutilized.

A further object of the invention is to provide a palletized shippingcontainer of a particular length and width that minimizes the amount oftime per windshield for moving the container into or from a loading orunloading station.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent to one skilledin the art from the description of a preferred embodiment of thecontainer that follows when taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich similar parts are designated sometime by the same referencenumerals and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the palletized shipping container withthe top and the upper and lower front panels removed;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the shipping container;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the top of the container;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section of the container taken along the line4-4 of FIG. 2, with the top removed and with parts broken away; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the container at an angleother than that used for the View of FIG. 1.

The palletized container has a palletized base generally indicated at 10comprising spaced parallel longitudinal skids 11, spacer blocks 12secured on skids 11 at and intermediate their ends, and transverseboards 13 secured on blocks 12. Spaced parallel longitudinal boards 14secured on boards 13 above skids 11 constitute a platform to provide abottom for the container. Transverse boards 15 secured to the undersideof boards 14 between boards 13. The foregoing components are securedtogether by nails or the like. The boards 13 and 15 are engaged by theforks of a lift truck for lifting and moving the container.

Boards 13 and 15 extend beyond outside boards 14 to provide side ledges.Likewise, the boards 14 are shorter than skids 11 so that end ledges areprovided on the transverse boards 13 at the ends of the bottom 10 of thecontainer.

The container has end panels generally indicated at 20, upper and lowerfront panels generally indicated at 21 and 22, respectively, and a rearpanel generally indicated at 23. Each of the end panels 26 has verticalboards 26 and 27. The height of the upper front panel 21 isapproximately equal to the height of the lower front panel 22 as seen inFIG. 4 to provide a container that has less than twice the height of theconventional container previously referred to. The upper front panel 21has vertical boards 28 and 29 joined by wires 30 secured along theoutside faces of boards 28 and 29 by staples 31. The lower front panel22 has vertical boards 32 and 33 joined by wires 34 secured along theoutside faces of boards 32 and 33 by staples 31. The rear panel 23 hasvertical boards 36 and 37. Wires 38 are secured by staples 31 to theoutside faces of boards 26 and 27 of panels 20 and to boards 36 and 37of panel 23. The ends of wires 30 and 34 have loops 39.

The end panels 20 have cleats 40 secured by nails to the inside faces ofthe top ends of vertical boards 26 and 27, cleats 41 secured to theinside faces of the bottom ends of boards 26 and 27 and cleats 42secured to the inside faces of boards 25 and 27 intermediate the ends ofthe latter. Likewise a top cleat 43, an intermediate cleat 45 and abottom cleat 44 are secured to inside faces of boards 36 and 37 of panel23. The cleats 40, 41, 42, 43, 44- and 45 are mitered at their ends. Thepanels 20 are mounted with bottom cleat 41 of each resting on an endledge of the bottom 10, i.e., on boards 13, and panel 23 is mounted withbottom cleat 44 resting on the rear position on'cleats 42, 45 and. 47.

"parallel and spaced apart.

ledge of bottom 10, id, on one end of each of boards 13 and1-5.

A cleat 46 is secured to the inside faces of vertical boards 32 and 33of panel 22 at their bottom ends and a cleat-47 isalso secured on theinside face of panel 22 to the top ends of vertical boards 32 and 33.The bottom cleat 46rests on the front ledge provided on-the top surfaceof the front-end of boards 13 and 15. The upper front'panel21 has acleat43- secured to the inside faces ofvertical boards 23 and'29 at their topends. The upper panel 21 also has a cleat 49 secured to the inside facesof vertical boards '23 and 29. Thecleat49 is parallel to but spacedabove the bottom ends of boards 28 and 2.9.

When the upper and lower front panels 21 and 22 are in position to closethat'side of the container the cleats 41, cleat-44 and cleat 46 rest onthe-ledges of the bottom and are in the same horizontal plane. With thelower front panel 22 in position its ,cleat 4-7 is in horizontalalignment "with cleat 42 and cleat 45. The upper front panel 21 rests onthe top edges of boards 32 and 33 of lower front panel 22 so that topcleat 48 of upper front panel21 is in horizontal alignment with topcleats 4t and top cleat 43 of end panels 29 and rear panel 23,respectively. a

Transverse boards 5%) are secured on the ends of longitudinal boards 14of bottom it The boards 53 extend beyond the outside boards '14 so thatthe endsof boards 50 are in vertical alignment with the ends of boards13 and 15. A pairof transverse channel members 51 is secured onlongitudinal boards 14 between transverse boards 5%). The channelmembers 51 likewise extend beyond the outsidelongitudinal boards 14 sothat the ends of the former are in alignment with boards 13 and 15.Theparticular positioning of. channel members 51 is determined by thepattern of the windshield to be packed in the container. Each of thechannel members has a stop member'52 in the rear portion of its groove.The stop member 52is nailed to channel member 51. 7

'As seen in FIG. 1 the container of the invention has a shelf generallyindicated at as comprising parallellongi- .tudinal boards 61 that arespaced apart. The shelf also includes transverse boards'62 secured onthe. ends of longitudinal boards 61. A'pair ofchannel members 64, eachhaving a stop member 65 nailed in'the-rear portion of its groove, isnailed to longitudinal boards 61 of shelf V v60 between transverseboards62. Like channel members 51, the channel members 64- arepositioned between transverse boards 62 in a manner dependent uponmtheparticular pattern of windshield to. be' packaged.

'FIG. 1 shows shelf '61} in position with the longitudinal boards 61ofshelf 6t} resting on cleat 42 of end panels and cleat 45 of rearpan'el23. The outside boardsol also --rest on 'top cleat 47 of lowerfront panel 22 when shelf 60 is normally in the position'shown. in H6.11,

because it-is placed there when'panel :2'2'has been posixtioned as shownin FIG. '2. The ends of transverse boards '62 and channel members 64 arein the same vertical planes as :the front edge of'the front board 61andthe rear edge 'ofrear outside board 61.

V After the Windshields have been loaded on the bottom 10, the lowerpanel 22 is placed in positionand the loops "tib-of'lower wires 38 aresecured to theflloops39 of wires 34 on lower front panel 22. The'sh-elfGtkis'placed in After the Windshields have been placed on shelf 6% theupper front panel 21 is ;placed on lower front panel 22 and the cleat 49of upper front panel 21 abuts theitop surface of flange 69 of each ofchannel members =54, thereby serving to hold down shelf '66. The loops39 of wires 3% of upper front panel 21 are secured to the loops 68 ofupper wires 38. The loops 39 are secured to loops 68 by a conventionaltool.

A top generally indicated at 76 is placed on panels 29, Hand '23. Thetop has transverse boards ,71 that-are of boards 72 are spaced from theends of boards 71 and with the top 7% in positionboards 72 abut theinside surfaces of cleats 43 and 48 of rear panel 23 and upper frontpanel 21, respectively. The ends of boards 72 are slightly spaced fromcleats ill of end panels 24). The boards 71 rest on the top of panels 26and=panels 21 and 23 and on cleats 4i} and cleats 43 and43. The endboards 71 have secured on their top surfaces guide boards 73. The guideboards 73 each have a corner removed so that a wire can be placed overeach top corner of the container to provide a candy box type of wire tieto secure the top to the other components of the container.

When assembling the container the end panels 20 and rear panel 23 aresecured in position upon the ledges of bottomltl by nails (not shown)through vertical boards 26 and 37 and board 14 and into spacer blocks12. Likewise when lower front panel 22 is placed in position afterloading Windshields on bottom 10 the panel 22 .is preferably secured tobottomllt) by a nail (not shown) through vertical board 32 andintermediate transverse board 13 and into spacer block 12.

Various modificationsof the container will beapparent from the foregoingdescription of a preferredv embodiment which is merely illustrative. Forexample, instead of the channel members 51 and 64 in which multiplecorrugated cardboards with slots in their top portions are. .se-

. cured and instead of the particular construction .of the The boardsare secured at 7 their under surfaces to longitudinal boards72. Thefendspalletized bottom and the shelf, other constructions canbe used. Forexample, the palletizedbottom can have a construction as shown in US.Patent No. 2,743,010,.granted on April 24, 1956, and the shelf can besimilarly modified, e.g., by using a pair of spaced boards insteadofthechannel member.

The description of a .specificpackaging method for'the Windshields inconventional containers can be used to package themin the lower tier onthe bottom or .in the upper tier on the shelf 69. .Insteadof that type,of arrangeme'nt for .the corrugated. materials for packaging, otherpackagingmaterials could beused, for example, those shown in the US.patent mentioned above.

The invention is not limited by the description .ofthe preferredembodiment but only by the claimszthat follow.

I claim:

1. A shipping container for curved glass .sheets comprising a palletizedbase, a platform securedon thebase to provide. a'bottom forthecontainer, endpanels .anda trear panel supported by the bottom. .andhaving top, bottom and intermediatev horizontal .cleatssecured on theinside faces of each of saidpanels, .alower front-panel supported. bythe bottom and having top and bottom fhorizontal cleats secured on itsinside face, said topihori zontal cleats of. said lower frontpanelbeing. in horizontal alignment at its top surface with the top surface.of the intermediate cleats oflthe end panelsand theirear panel, anupper front panel on the lower front panel and having a top horizontalchat in alignment withthe top cleats of the end panels and the rearpanel, a shelfresting on' and: supported by said intermediate cleats andby saidtop cleat of the lower front panel, and a top supported .bythetop cleat on the upper front panel and by. the top cleats on the endpanels, the rear panel and the upper front panel said front margin ofsaid top between said end panels being supported on said bottomonlythrough said prising a palletized base, a platform secured on thebase to providea bottom forthe container, end panelsv and 'a' rear panelsupported by the bottom and having top, bottom and intermediatehorizontal cleats secured on the inside faces of each of said panels, alower front panel supported by the bottom and having top and bottomhorizontal cleats secured on its inside face, said top horizontal cleatof said lower front panel being in horizontal alignment at its topsurface with the top surface of the intermediate cleats-of the endpanels and the rear panel, an upper front panel on the lower front paneland having a top horizontal cleat in alignment with the top cleats ofthe end panels and the rear panel, a shelf resting on and supported bysaid intermediate cleats and by said top cleat of the lower front panel,and a top supported by the top cleat on the upper front panel and by thetop cleats on the end panels, the rear panel and the upper front panel,said front mar in of said top between said end panels being supported onsaid bottom only through said upper and lower front panels and saidupper front panel having secured on its inside face a horizontal cleatspaced above the lower end of the upper front panel and engaging a topsurface portion of the shelf.

3. The shipping container of claim 2 wherein each of the cleats has amitered end opposing a mitered end of the adjacent cleat.

4. The container of claim 3 and further including horizontal wiressecured to the end panels and the rear panel, wires secured to the lowerfront panel and wires secured to the upper front panel at the outerfaces, said wires secured to the end panels and the rear panel beingsecured to the Wires of the upper and lower front panels.

5. The shipping container of claim 4 wherein said container has a heightfrom the bottom surface of the palletized base to the top surface of thetop that is less than twice the comparable height of a container havingend and rear panels with heights equal to the height of the lower frontpanel of said container and with the top resting directly on the lowerfront panel, 4

6. A shipping container for curved glass sheets C0111- prising apalletized base, a platform secured on the base to provide a bottom forthe container, and end panels and a rear panel supported by the bottomand each having horizontal cleats secured on the inside facesintermediate the top and bottom of the panels and spaced above thebottom, a lower front panel supported by the bottom and having ahorizontal cleat secured on the inside face adjacent the top of thelower front panel, an upper front panel supported by the lower panel, ashelf resting on and supported horizontally by the cleats on the endpanels and the rear panel and the cleat on the lower front panel, and atop supported by the rear panel, the end panels and the upper frontpanel, said front margin of said top between said end panels beingsupported on said bottom only through said upper and lower front panelsand said upper front panel having secured on its inside face ahorizontal cleat spaced above the lower end of the upper front panel andengaging a top surface portion of the shelf.

7. The shipping container of claim 6 wherein the height of the upperfront panel is approximately the height of the lower front panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,524,154 Schenck et al Jan. 27, 1925 1,973,932 Sharp et al Sept. 18,1934 2,068,064 Miller Jan. 19, 1937 2,178,213 Weiller Oct. 31, 19392,507,693 Collier May 16, 1950 2,743,010 Koester Apr. 24, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS 486,814 Italy Nov. 18, 19 53 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICECERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,064,845 November 20, 1962 Column4, line 52, for "cleats read cleat column 6, line 3, strike out andSigned and sealed thid 4th day of February 1964.

{ TALE ttest:

, EDWIN Le REYNOLDS ERNEST W. SWIDER Attesting Officer AC ti 9Commissioner of Patents

